In an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm, Samy Mahmoud, Chairman of the Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA), says Turkey has profited from the decline of tourism in Arab Spring countries, explaining the impact of political Islam on the industry.
Q: Has Turkey benefited from the decline of tourism in the Arab Spring countries?
A: Turkey has benefited from the situation in the Arab Spring countries, as the political disorder led to a decline in tourism in Egypt, Tunisia and Syria, while Turkey has kept its share of the tourist traffic, although it was affected by the events of Taksim Square. In the end, we can resume it in the following formula: tourism = stability + security + image.
Q: How are you dealing with the circumstances?
A: Our offices abroad clarify the real situation to tour operators, promote charter flights and launch advertising campaigns.
Q: Has the Air Defense Stadium incident affected tourism?
A: It has had a negative impact on the image of Egypt, and it will thwart our efforts, should such incident happen again. But if those responsible are brought to account, confidence in Egypt as a state of law will be regained, both at home and abroad.
Q: What do you think of extremist groups deliberately carrying out terrorist operations to distort Egypt’s image abroad?
A: Terrorist incidents deliberately target tourism by conveying an image of perpetual chaos. Certain groups are particularly concerned with sending out those negative messages, since they know the importance of tourism.
Q: How do you cope with the negative impact of the Islamic State (IS) on inbound tourism?
A: We organize cultural, artistic and media events, arranging for their proper coverage, to attract the attention to the news on the improvement of the security situation. For instance, President Putin's visit to Tahrir Square and the Opera House had a positive effect.
Q: How did you prepare for the Berlin Tourism Fair?
A: Berlin Tourism Fair is the world's largest, and it is an important opportunity to promote Egypt to tourism companies. We have prepared a large pavilion in the form of a Pharaonic boat, and we intend to use the international media exposure to provide reassurance to the tourists, along with promotional activities.
Q: Are you showing promotional films?
A: Yes. We will be showing “Magical Egypt", which has attracted three million viewers in just two months. Images from the movie will also be used in our promotional posters.
Q: How do we attract tourism from Arab countries if we do not have a single office in the region?
A: There has been a significant breakthrough in tourism from Arab countries in the latter half of 2014, due to visitors from the Gulf countries.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
